The country ahead is as wild a spread as ever we're likely to see.
The horses are dancing to start the advance Won't you ride on with me?
-Leif Engler

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Tuesday With Pictures

I made friends today! Spiders and creepy crawlies and little biting bugs friends. Not really amused. I would like you to know that on my right hand there are 11 bites. On the left hand there are not nearly as many...because.... I am a scientist experimenter at heart and love a little challenge. The next bug that landed on my left hand--- I squished and left right there as a reminder to his fellow biting bug friends. Seems to have worked! I again am quite amused with myself.

But now to the real news: I almost bit the side of my tongue off yesterday. Gross. It did not fall off today, for which I am terribly proud. But I kind of feel like a disfigured monster. Shhhh I didn't tell my Pearlington friends about this...

Ok ok... the really REAL news: Excellent progress at Captain John's land/swamp/emerging house... Last trip in December 08 the team was cutting trenches, building rebar enforced cement boxes to put pylons into to hopefully get something solid to build a foundation AND perhaps a house upon. See below two pics of the work in progress, and then below that that same area as it appears TODAY:

TODAY!!! -->

Similarly see below a pic of the yellow house in much sadder times:

And here the house yesterday. It looks amazing, especially considering what it's been through: One of the guys with us here was at the yellow house yesterday and wanted to take a peak inside; he went to walk through the front door, and then thought better of it because his boots were very muddy. I gently reminded him that this house as seen FAR worse than those muddy boots, like perhaps a hurricane and flooding thanks to Katrina. "Oh ya..." he says, "I forgot about that." Inside the house still needs a lot of work, and love and labor, but the layer upon layer of mud has been shoveled out by past crews, the walls completely stripped down, and the kitchen cabinets cleaned I think 4 times with bleach. They are trying to salvage what the can of this precious house built in 1922.

The view from the edge of the life is different and often much clearer than the way most of us see things. Values that have been passed down in a family for generations may be recognized as inadequate; lifelong beliefs about personal capacities or what is important may prove to be mistaken. When life is stripped down to its very essentials, it is surprising how simple things become. Fewer and fewer things matter and those that matter, matter a great deal more.

Followers

About Me

I have a weakness for piano solos and vocal harmonies, wild poppies and tulips, lots of chocolate and peanut butter, warm snugly hugs and little white twinkle lights. Conversations with no words, southern drawl, windy stormy evenings in front of the fireplace, candlelight, horseback and a ranch in Haiku. Sisters of the heart, and Taqueria with corona, good books and pedicures. My silly sweet girls, and my dear ol' dad. Not at peace yet without my mom, and my hubby too. Not a stranger to heartache or headaches or tandem crises. I have a soft spot for the Marine Corps and anything military. Pretty darn quiet and I like it that way. On a new journey, and keeping my head up. Love me some sunsets on fall days, a warm chai latte, and mostly my Jesus ♥